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Home › MI › Newberry › Tahqua-Tots Learning Center
State records list this provider as Closed. Review the inspection and enforcement history below, and confirm the current status on the official state source before enrolling.
14126 County Road 428, Newberry MI 49868 · License #DC480365113 · Center · Center
Not published by the state. Owners can add hours via profile claim.
When they operate
Ages served
R 400.8140 · R 400.8140 Discipline. (2) All of the following means of punishment are prohibited: (i) Time out must not be used for children under 3 years of age.
Staff members described using time outs with two-year-old children. The center's discipline policy did not prohibit use of time out with children under the age of three.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8140 · R 400.8140 Discipline. (1) Positive methods of discipline that encourage self- control, self-direction, self-esteem, and cooperation must be used.
On 8/24/2022, an onsite inspection was completed. I interviewed the program director and all staff members and observed all classrooms. Heather Flatt, Program Director, was very cooperative and helpful with providing staff records, child records, and opportunities for me to interview each staff member individually in private. She describes the implementation of the center discipline plan as giving a child breaks, use of time out, changing play spaces for the child, and working on room arrangements. In the two-year-old room, the children all want the same thing and she is obtaining more duplicates of equipment. Rodney Bigelow has worked at this child care center since 2/22/2022. He had been providing care in the infant room but has moved to the preschool room. Typical ideas for discipline that he uses include talking to the child, trying to mediate, and giving the child an opportunity to "think about it" in a chair in a quiet area along the side of the wall and spend about three to four minutes calming down. Regarding hitting between the children, he talks to the child and redirects. He also talks to the child and advises them to tell the child who hit how that made them feel. This usually occurs at the table where they eat. The group sits down and talks together. He does not take children into the bathroom for a quiet area. He has not threatened to take a child to the bathroom. Former child care staff members had done that on a rare occasion, including with two-year-old children, especially if the child was screaming. Sarah Barker has worked at this child care center since 2/14/2022. She works in the two-year-old room. Children are encouraged to sit down and talk about what happened. "Soft hands" is what she tells the children and that "we don't do that" if they hit and they need to say, "I'm sorry." Some of the moms have said that the staff can put the two-year-old in the corner for five minutes and the staff member holds the child there on her lap. Two-year-old children are told to "breathe" and soft talk is used. Child B (26-month-old male) still has his bottle and cries for it. He can only have it at lunch time. Some two-year-olds are moved to sit in the baby room where it 3 is quieter to calm down. This group of children has a lot of aggression and want to all go to the same spot when there is something exciting like new toys. They fight every day over cars/trucks. Additional construction toy trucks have been requested. She denies taking children into the bathroom to calm down or threatening to do so. Zoey Sowers started working at this center on 8/15/2022. It is crazy working with the two-year-olds and she has not had any training. She sat and learned one day with two other staff members. When the children are too aggressive or "have issues" they need to sit for a little while. If a child is aggressive, they sit in a chair by the CCSM. Rodney told her that it should be one minute for "how old they are." The child may sit longer. We tell them not to run because they will get hurt. We tell the preschoolers to be careful around the two-year-olds. Staff members do raise their voices to a loud volume. Yelling has happened if a child is running out to the road or parking lot. Children have not had time-outs in the bathroom. She denied threatening to take a child to the bathroom. Child B sits in the bathroom at drop off for about 30 seconds to calm down. Child B cries for his bottle at nap time but cannot have it. Alicia King has worked at the center on and off for the past year. She has another job at a preschool program during the school year. She usually works in the two- year-old room. When I asked about the discipline policy at the child care center, she described that you don't want to tell the child "no". A child should be told what the problem is. If one of the children in this room is having a meltdown, a staff member holds and comforts the child. They are not being "bad"; they are not old enough to understand. Hockey
On 8/23/2022, at approximately 8:00 am Child C (3-4-year-old male) was heard crying and screaming on the playground. A child care staff member (CCSM) was heard to yell at Child C, repeating phrases like, "Stop it right now!". Then after about 20 seconds the CCSM threatened to take Child C to the bathroom ("Do you want to go to the bathroom? That's it I'm taking you to the bathroom." )There is shoving, kids being ignored, and daily yelling. On 8/24/2022 at approximately 11:30 am, a CCSM was holding Child D (4-year- old male) over his knee and allowed Child E (5-year-old female) to spank Child D. Then, after releasing Child D, the CCSM put Child E in the same position and let Child D spank Child E. Another CCSM observed this happen. Although Child D and Child E were not crying, you could tell Child D was somewhat confused and Child E was hitting/punching the CCSM after the incident.
Disposition: Substantiated
This child care facility is very dirty and smells of soiled diapers. The floors are filthy. There is a lack of concern for safety. There is no sign in/out sheet being used for pick-up and drop-off.
Disposition: Substantiated
Generated from this facility's specific inspection record
Data synced from Michigan MiLEAP, Child Care Licensing Bureau on Jul 9, 2026 · Source records · Report an error
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: ratio. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8112 · R 400.8112 Comprehensive background check; fingerprinting. (1) Pursuant to section 5n of the act, MCL 722.115n, before an individual has unsupervised contact with children, the department shall determine the individual's eligibility to be any of the following: (d) A child care aide.
Four child care staff members hired in 2022 did not have records entered on the Child Care Background Check system for over a month. During that time, the staff members had unsupervised contact with children.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: supervision. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8128 · R 400.8128 Staff; volunteer; tuberculosis. A center shall keep on file at the center evidence to verify that each child care staff member and each volunteer who has contact with children at least 4 hours per week for more than 2 consecutive weeks is free from communicable tuberculosis (TB). Verification of TB status is required within 1 year before employment or volunteering.
Four child care staff members hired between May and August 2022, did not have Tb tests completed at the time of the investigation. These staff members had been employed in excess of 4 hours per week for more than 2 consecutive weeks.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: recordkeeping. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8131 · R 400.8131 Professional development requirements. (3) Before caring for children, all child care staff members and unsupervised volunteers who work directly with children shall be trained on prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma and child maltreatment, and recognition and reporting of child abuse and neglect.
Two staff members did not complete this training prior to unsupervised contact with children. ..................
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: supervision. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8170 · ............... .......................................................................................................................................................... R 400.8170 Outdoor play area (3) A center operating with children in attendance for 3 or more continuous hours per day shall provide daily outdoor play, unless prevented by inclement weather or other weather conditions that could result in children becoming overheated or excessively chilled.
Children in the infant room did not have outdoor time on the schedule and the appropriate equipment for moving the infants outdoors or takina them for a walk was not available.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: physical safety. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8137 · R 400.8137 Diapering; toiletin . (4) A plastic-lined, tightly covered container must be used exclusively for disposable diapers and training pants and diapering supplies. The container must be emptied and sanitized at the end of each day.
The person who made the report had been to the facility on an irregular basis over many months. A deterioration in the cleanliness and overall safety of the center had been observed since Ms. Curley left the center as a program director for employment at the local public school. I inspected the facility on October 18, 2021. At the time of the inspection, no program director was present. Christine Pleiman was the director at the time. She was not available and did not call me. Staff members reported to me that she is not at the center on a regular basis. Subsequently, I learned that she was no longer the program director. During the inspection, I observed multiple safety and cleanliness concerns at the center. • The floor and area rugs in two rooms of the child care center were covered with debris. This debris included dirt, sand, pieces of gum and food wrappers, plastic items, old food, fuzz, dust, and food crumbs. • The sink and counter area were covered with crumbs, popcorn kernels, smeared food, and were generally dirty. • The microwave had food splatters inside of it. 2 • The refrigerator lacked thermometers. • Three outlets lacked covers. • A large, unlocked cabinet in the main entry room had over the counter medication stored within reach of children over the age of four. • Two diapering pads were in poor condition, with one being ripped. • Dishes were being washed in a two-basin sink with no third basin available. • A table in the main entry room had debris on it. • One wall had a large amount of peeling paint on it. • During lunch time, a 4-year-old child chose to stay in a separate room that has an open doorway to another room. She was seated on an area rug, out of sight of caregivers and no one sat near her or checked on her for periods of time in excess of ten minutes. This is the room that has the main entryway adjacent to it. The door is unlocked. I observed new staff members on site. Record reviews found that three new staff members did not have documentation of an orientation to the child care center. Quinn Curley advised that the center was going close for cleaning and painting for a few days after October 20, 2021. Heather Flatt returned as the program director. She provided a corrective action plan on November 10, 2021, with photos of many items that were corrected. These photos included forms for three new staff members documenting one hour of orientation for each in September 2021. A follow-up inspection was completed on December 8, 2021. The site was in much- improved condition. The cleanliness of the floor remained an issue. Lines of dirt and dust were observed in the preschool room, including a piece of plastic. From the amount of dirt present, it did not appear that the floor had been adequately cleaned for a couple days. Ms. Flatt said that the floors were in need of stripping and waxing and arrangements were being made for that to be accomplished. Cleaning charts and responsibilities had been assigned to staff. The sanitizing bin for the dishes was on top of a large popcorn popper and there was not a space on the countertop for its use. The popper had old popcorn kernels in it. The counter and one table were in need of cleaning. A large amount of boxes, some old donuts next to a garbage can, a vacuum, a broom, and various maintenance equipment were around the counter and sink area. A shelf in the preschool room had sharp and deteriorating wood on it. Ms. Flatt agreed to remove that shelf on that date. A large amount of new play equipment was present and being organized. Ms. Flatt advised that they had filled the dumpster on several occasions, cleaning out the child care center and updating equipment. Ms. Flatt has been getting new staff members enrolled in additional training and working on professional development with them. It has been a time of transition this past fall. 3 The center no longer provides care to school-age children following the October 20, 2021 inspection. Ms. Curley advised, "we ha
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: ratio. Open / not marked corrected.
R400.8173 · R400.8173 Equ ent. .......................................................................................... (4) Play equipment, materials, and furniture, must be all of the following: (b) Safe, clean, and in good repair.
There were dirty tables, and shelves with sharp, deteriorating wood.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: physical safety. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8380 · R 400.8380 Maintenance of premises. (1) The premises must be maintained in a clean and safe condition and must not pose a threat to health or safety.
The floors were observed on two inspections to have an excessive amount of dirt and debris. Children may put some of these items in their mouth or get dirt from the floor on their hands from daily activities.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: health medication. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8113 · R 400.8113 Program director qualifications; responsibilities. (2) A program director shall be present in the center in the following manner: (b) At least 50% of the time children are in care but not less than a total of 6 hours per day for programs operating 6 or more continuous hours.
At the time of the October 18, 2021 inspection, the program director was not present and staff members stated that she was not routinely resent for 50% of the day.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8125 · R 400.8125 St . a ..f f; volunteer; requirements. (1) All staff and volunteers shall provide appropriate care and supervision of children at all times.
A child was inadequately supervised in the room next to the entry way. There is insufficient monitoring of the exit to ensure children's safety.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: supervision. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8131 · .... ...... ............................................................. R 400.8131 Pro ...f ..e .....s ....s . ional developm ....e ....n ... t requirements. ....................... (11) The center shall provide an orientation about the center's policies and practices and these administrative rules for all personnel hired after the effective date of these rules and before unsupervised contact with children.
Three recently hired staff did not have documentation of the orientation. Ms. Flatt subsequently provided forms that showed each of these staff members receiving one hour of orientation in September 2021. One hour of training is insufficient to adequately address the material required for orientation.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: supervision. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8137 · R 400.8137 Diapering; toileting. (1) Except as provided in subrule (2) of this rule, diapering must occur in a designated diapering area that complies with all of the following: (c) Has non-absorbent, smooth, easily cleanable surfaces in good repair. • • • i . • • • • A: X1'1 i • • • •' • • ' • • • • • • • • • • ~ ': . c 1'1 i • • • . ' • • • • • r r ' i' i •f` I i • •` f `f • • • • ': •
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8325 · .............. R 400.8325 Sanitization. (5) If the manual washing method is used, as referenced in subrule (4)(c) and (d) of this rule, all of the following must be done: (d) Sanitize using 1 of the following methods: (ii) Immersion for at least 1 minute in a solution containing between 50 and 100 parts per million of chlorine or comparable sanitizing agent at a temperature of at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit. A test kit or other device that measures parts per million concentration of the solution must be used when a chemical is used for san ..i ..t ..i ..z ....i .n .....g ... .
On October 18, 2021, only two sinks were being used to wash dishes. On December 8, 2021, a small bin had been labeled for sanitizing, but there was no counter space available for it to be used.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Category: ratio. Open / not marked corrected.
R 400.8550 · .... ...... R 400.8550 Electrical service. (5) All electrical outlets in child use areas for children who are not yet school-age shall be made inaccessible to children. ..........._.......... ......... ......................
On October 18, 2021, three outlets lacked covers. On December 8, 2021, the outlets had appropriate covers on them.
Open Not marked corrected in the state record
Open / not marked corrected.